An interesting reminder

[Johnnz]

Let's see if this results in some more activity here. Here are some extracts from an article I read this morning. It is a good reminder that, even though we may have chosen a different form for meeting together, God is still at work elsewhere. Hope this gets you thinking. Sorry but it won't stay in paragraphs! "To say that Christian television is “not my thing” doesn’t even get close. Christian music, Christian bookstores, Christian television, pretty much any aspect of what some call “the Christian-Industrial Complex” is “not my thing.” Meanwhile, I have a blog called Sarcastic Lutheran, I am married to a Lutheran pastor, involved in the start of a new postmodern, urban Christian community and, God willing, will soon be ordained to the office of Word and Sacrament ministry in the Lutheran Church, all of which is to say, I’m pretty Christian. I’m not alone. Simply stated, there are two Christianities in America. (There are countless more Christianities in America that do not fit into the following categories, but humor me.) Group A are Christian and typically still are part of the dominant culture. They read books from the New York Times bestseller list, watch The Simpsons, and listen to pop music. These folks are more likely to belong to the moderate to progressive “mainline” denominations. Group B are also Christian, and they read books and watch TV, but they read “Christian” books and watch “Christian” TV and listen to “Christian” pop; these folks are more likely to be found in the conservative evangelical, Pentecostal, or fundamentalist sector of the church. So what happens when you take someone from Group A and expose her to 24 hours of Group B in the form of an entire day and night of Trinity Broadcasting Network? That is the question Seabury Press asked me in the summer of 2007. I began to wonder what the folks at TBN would think of me, a heavily tattooed Christian progressive from a liturgical denomination. How would people in their theological camp respond to my preaching? Would they think, as I do of them, that I misuse scripture? Would they be offended at the aesthetic in the community I serve? Would they dismiss my years of theological education as silly and unnecessary? When it comes right down to it, so many of my criticisms of TBN could go both ways, and if that’s true then could it also be true, despite us both, that God is at work in my community and in (gulp) TBN? Let me just say, this is the last thing I want to be true because I love — seriously, I adore — being right. If I were Julie Andrews, I would be sitting around with a bunch of similarly dressed children singing a song about “raindrops on roses and me being right, other people being wrong and warm woolen mittens, brown paper packages tied up with string, these are a few of my favorite things.” You get the idea. Rather than fortifying my theological and ecclesiastical entrenchment, the experience of writing this book has strangely done the opposite. While maintaining that the prosperity gospel, the rapture, and Christian Zionism (all TBN fare) are up there with the selling of indulgences and the existence of purgatory as the stinkiest Christian ideas in history, I still must admit that God’s redeeming work in the world does not happen only when we get all the theology and method right. As much as I hate to admit it, our theology, even when it’s “good” theology (like mine, seriously it’s so good; just ask me) does not save me from myself. What my friend and I get by being in relationship is an exposure to that which we do not get from our own traditions, and there is a lot missing on both ends. Sometimes the body of Christ is so busy trying to pretend that our particular form of Christianity is the most faithful, or the most biblical, or the most liberating (I include myself here) that we don’t bother taking advantage of each other’s traditions to help fill the inevitable holes in our own" John NZ

 

[rob64]

Hmmmmm...
Pretty interesting!
I guess that would put me in the catagory of group B.
After reading that, something stood out to me;

It seems that no matter where you turn, people always find ways to put us christians into catagories. We even do it ourselves. Which, in reality is nothing less than finding more avenues for division.

Here, I'll even do it myself. (It's easy enough to do)
The real contrast between groups A and B is obvious, in that group A are the ones who have yet to "come out from among them". They are worldly, whereas group B are "On fire".!!!

 

[Jamey]

Can there be a group "C"? One that just wants to imitate Christ? No care by defining people by tatoos and such but also not defining people by wearing christian t-shirts and or having fish symbols on thier car.
I'm about to ditch the christian label. First it was given to believers who by those who didn't believe and second i have heard it was meant as an insult.
I watched a movie the other night called Luther. Pretty interesting how he fought against indulgences (sp?). I was thinking if we don't have that today in other forms. Not saying listening to christian music is bad, I love artists like Todd Agnew and the like, but i hope that does not define us as followers of Christ.
i try to stay away from the Christ club stuff. Although i fall short many times, i want ppl to see Christ in me, not necessarly on me. That might mislead them.

a brother in Christ,
J.